1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus and method. The present invention also relates to a program for causing a computer to execute the imaging method.
2. Description of the Related Art
When imaging persons as subjects, image correction techniques used for correcting the person's faces to make them satisfactory are known. Image corrections, however, require sophisticated techniques. For example, it is difficult to correct an image taken when a person just blinked to an image of the person not blinking, or to correct an image of a person not smiling to an image of the person looking like smiling.
For this reason, for example, an imaging apparatus that performs imaging when a predetermined condition, such as open eyes after closing for two seconds, not closed eyes, or the like, is satisfied by a subject is proposed as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 7,248,300 and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20040170397. Another type of imaging apparatus is also proposed as described, for example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-005662, in which imaging is performed when movement of a face, the subject of the imaging, is within a predetermined region during a predetermined time period, that is, when the subject is ready to be imaged. According to these imaging apparatuses, a satisfactory image of a person's face may be obtained without correcting the image.
The apparatuses described in the aforementioned patent publications perform imaging when the subjects are in a predetermined condition. Here, in an imaging apparatus, a time lag occurs between the initiation of an imaging operation and real imaging through the release of the shutter. Therefore, there may be a case in which an image that includes a subject satisfying a predetermined condition is not obtained if the subject moves, or closes the eyes at the moment of imaging performed during the time period from the time when the predetermined condition is satisfied by the subject to the time when the imaging is actually performed. In particular, if the subject moves, a blurred image, like a camera shake image, may be obtained. Further, when performing so-called self-image taking, in which the imaging is performed with the lens directed toward oneself, it is difficult to verify whether or not own image is within the field angle of the imaging apparatus, since the monitor for verifying the image is disposed on the rear side of the imaging apparatus.